Crash killed 4 people — all in their 80s or 90s. Accused DUI driver gets prison in SC
A South Carolina driver was accused of having several drugs in his system at the time of a crash that killed four people — all in their 80s or 90s, officials said.
Now, Richard Shane Plowden has been ordered to serve more than three decades behind bars after pleading guilty to driving under the influence, Greenville-area prosecutors said Monday, April 25.
An attorney believed to be representing Plowden didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment about the case on April 26.
The allegations stem from a crash reported on Sept. 11, 2020. The 13th Judicial Circuit solicitor’s office in a news release said Plowden was near S.C. Highway 14 and Cannon Road when he drove across the center line.
That’s when prosecutors said Plowden slammed head-on into a Saturn Vue. All four people inside the SUV “were killed instantly and died as a result of blunt force trauma,” according to officials.
The deceased were identified in news reports as two couples: William and Marsha Norman, and Michael and Nancy Cook.
Prosecutors said Plowden’s license had been suspended since 2016, and multiple drugs found in his system made him “materially and appreciably impaired and unable to safely or properly operate a motor vehicle.”
“He was under the influence of a combination of methamphetamine, a stimulant, and three central nervous system depressants — Ambien, Oxycodone, and Nordiazepam,” officials said.
Plowden was sentenced to 35 years in prison. The 47-year-old Greenville resident had pleaded guilty to driving under suspension and four counts of felony DUI resulting in death on April 25, online records show.
This story was originally published April 26, 2022 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Crash killed 4 people — all in their 80s or 90s. Accused DUI driver gets prison in SC."
